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This article contains spoilers for Hit Man.

“People are disappointed when they learn that hit men don’t really exist,” explains Gary Johnson. That might be a surprising statement given that it occurs early on in a movie called Hit Man. Throughout the film, Gary (Glen Powell) dons different disguises to meet with people who want to pay him money (or video games or boats) to kill people. But then again, it’s all a ruse, a police sting operation that mild-mannered teacher Gary does as a side gig.

As Gary explains, his job is to become the type of hitman that potential criminals imagine exists, so that he can embody that look and lure them into a state of safety. As smart as Gary certainly is, he doesn’t create these identities out of nothing. Rather he’s riffing on hired killers from pop culture history, which gives Powell...

John Frankenheimer’s biggest production since Grand Prix turns the touchy subject of international terrorism into a frightening, outlandish story of a plot to kill thousands of spectators during one of America’s defining rituals, the Super Bowl. Black September operative Marthe Keller seduces disturbed Viet vet Bruce Dern into perpetrating the crime; Israeli agent Robert Shaw races to stop them. The super-crime is both outrageous and credible — making the show seem very modern, even prophetic. True to form, Frankenheimer filmed much of the movie’s final 40-minute suspense sequence during a real Super Bowl game.

Black Sunday

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 34

1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / Available from Viavision / 34.95 au

Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Bekim Fehmiu, Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats, Michael V. Gazzo, William Daniels, Walter Gotell.

Cinematography: John A. Alonzo

Film Editor: Tom Rolf

Original Music: John Williams

Written by Ernest Lehman, Kenneth Ross, Ivan Moffat...

Fred Zinnemann’s counter-assassination thriller remains topflight filmmaking, torn from reality and shot through with an unsentimental dose of political realism. Edward Fox’s implacable killer outwits the combined resources of an entire nation as he stalks his prey, and when bad luck forces him to improvise, he racks up more victims on his kill list. Step aside Bond, Bourne and Marvel — the original Jackal is the man to beat.

The Day of the Jackal

Blu-ray

Arrow Video USA

1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date September 25, 2018 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95

Starring: Edward Fox, Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig, Cyril Cusack, Eric Porter, Tony Britton, Alan Badel, Michel Auclair, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Vernon Dobtcheff, Olga Georges-Picot, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, Jean Martin, Ronald Pickup, Jean Sorel, Philippe Léotard, Jean Champion, Michel Subor, Howard Vernon.

Cinematography: Jean Tournier

Film Editor: Ralph Kemplen

Second Unit Director: Andrew Marton

Original Music: Georges Delerue

Written...

One of the best international thrillers ever has almost become an obscurity, for reasons unknown – this Blu-ray comes from Australia. Edward Fox’s wily assassin for hire goes up against the combined police and security establishments of three nations as he sets up the killing of a head of state – France’s president Charles de Gaulle. The terrific cast features Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig and Cyril Cusack; director Fred Zinnemann’s excellent direction reaches a high pitch of tension – even though the outcome is known from the start.

The Day of the Jackal

Region B+A Blu-ray

Shock Entertainment / Universal

1973 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date ? / Available from Amazon UK / Pounds 19.99

Starring: Edward Fox, Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig, Cyril Cusack, Eric Porter, Tony Britton, Alan Badel, Michel Auclair, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Vernon Dobtcheff, Olga Georges-Picot, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, Jean Martin, Ronald Pickup, Jean Sorel, Philippe Léotard, Jean Champion,...

Arriving on Blu-ray this week is George Cukor‘s newly restored, Best Picture-winning drama My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn. We’ve teamed with CBS Home Entertainment to give away three (3) Blu-rays of the film. See how to enter below and all entries must be received by 11:59 Pm Est on Sunday, November 1st.

To enter, do the first two steps and then 3 and 4 each count as an entry into the contest.

1. Like The Film Stage on Facebook

2. Follow The Film Stage on Twitter

Follow @TheFilmStage

3. Comment in the box on Facebook with your favorite Audrey Hepburn movie.

What's your favorite Audrey Hepburn movie?Let us know for a chance to win a newly restored #MyFairLady on Blu-ray. See more details: http://bit.ly/20aMoB1

Posted by The Film Stage on Wednesday, October 28, 2015

4. Retweet the following tweet:

We're giving away the restored 'My Fair Lady' on Blu-ray.

The Bond franchise which has been with us so long, has become so deeply entrenched in popular culture, that we often forget what it was that first distinguished the Bonds a half-century ago. Skyfall might be one of the best of the Bonds, and even, arguably, one of the best big-budget big-action flicks to come along in quite a while, but it’s not alone. The annual box office is – and has been, for quite some time – dominated by big, action-packed blockbusters of one sort of another. The Bonds aren’t even the only action-driven spy flicks (Mr. James Bond, I’d like you to meet Mr. Jason Bourne and Mr. Ethan Hunt).

That’s not to take anything away from the superb entertainment Skyfall is, or the sentimentally treasured place the Bonds hold. It’s only to say that where there was once just the one, there are now many.

Bruce Beresford says that by 1980 most Australians had forgotten that their countrymen had fought in the Boer War, and this scathing condemnation of England's scapegoating of commonwealth volunteers had a big impact. Stars Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson and Bryan Brown front a protest from the past, in one of the most respected Aussie Renaissance features of the late '70s. 'Breaker' Morant Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 773 1980 / Color / 1:78 anamorphic widescreen / 107 min. / Street Date September 22, 2015 / 39.95 Starring Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown, Lewis Fitz-Gerald Cinematography Don McAlpine Production Design David Copping Film Editor William S. Anderson <Written by Bruce Beresford, Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens from a play by Kenneth Ross Produced by Matt Carroll Directed by Bruce Beresford

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Bruce Beresford's 'Breaker' Morant is one of the stronger entries in the late '70s -- early '80s upsurge of quality movies from Australia and New Zealand.

Cinema’s Hidden Pearls – Part II

By Alex Simon

One of nature’s rarest items, a pearl is produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a clam, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. Truly flawless pearls are infrequently produced in nature, and as a result, the pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable and valuable.

Hidden pearls exist in the world of movies, as well: films that, in spite of being brilliantly crafted and executed, never got the audience they deserved beyond a cult following.

Here are a few more of our favorite hidden pearls in the world of film:

1. Massacre at Central High (1976)

Dutch director, and former cameraman for the legendary Russ Meyer, Rene Daalder was hired by producers to direct an exploitation...

A new international trailer has been released for the Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery ten-disc Blu-ray boxset.

As announced last month, the box set includes deleted and alternate scenes shot for 1992 prequel movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, in addition to "an epilogue providing a fascinating glimpse beyond the cliffhanger finale of the TV series".

Twin Peaks: Tube Talk Gold

"During the last days in the life of Laura Palmer many things happened, which have never been seen before," said show co-creator and Fire Walk With Me director David Lynch.

"They're here now alongside the new transfer of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Twin Peaks, the television series."

Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Home Entertainment Ken Ross added: "We set the bar very high with our prior complete series Twin Peaks DVD Gold Box. The Entire Mystery Blu-ray had to be spectacular...

Deleted and alternate scenes from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me will finally be released on a new Twin Peaks box-set.

Nearly 90 minutes of unseen footage shot for the 1992 prequel movie will be included on the July 29 'The Entire Mystery... and the Missing Pieces' release, Entertainment Weekly confirms.

"During the last days in the life of Laura Palmer many things happened, which have never been seen before," Lynch said in a statement.

"They're here now alongside the new transfer of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and Twin Peaks, the television series."

A special trailer has been made by editor Jonathan Angus, producer Charles de Lauzirika, CBS Home Entertainment Evp and Gm Ken Ross, and the Dugpas.

Fans on sites like Welcome to Twin Peaks and Dugpa.com have consistently campaigned for the release in some form of the scenes deleted by David Lynch for his final cut of the 1992 movie.

Red Alert Trek fans! You have another chance to win a pair of tickets to the “Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds” screening.

“You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.” Trekkers nationwide will soon heed those commands as Ncm® Fathom Events, CBS Home Entertainment and IGN present “Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds,” which beams into select cinemas on Thursday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. local time. The fan-favorite two-part episode – “The Best of Both Worlds” – is comprised of the third season finale and the fourth season premiere, with Part 1 making TV Guide’s list of “TV’s Top 100 Episodes of All Time.” The episodes have been remastered into a feature-length presentation and will be presented on the big screen.

Tickets for “Star Trek: The Next Generation® – The Best of Both Worlds” are available at presenting theater box offices and online at www.

“You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.” Trekkers nationwide will soon heed those commands as Ncm® Fathom Events, CBS Home Entertainment and IGN present “Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds,” which beams into select cinemas on Thursday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. local time. The fan-favorite two-part episode – “The Best of Both Worlds” – is comprised of the third season finale and the fourth season premiere, with Part 1 making TV Guide’s list of “TV’s Top 100 Episodes of All Time.” The episodes have been remastered into a feature-length presentation and will be presented on the big screen.

Tickets for “Star Trek: The Next Generation® – The Best of Both Worlds” are available at presenting theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be broadcast to more than 550 select movie theaters across the country through Ncm’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete...

(*My apologies for this coming so long after Sound on Sight’s celebration of 50 years of James Bond, but I’ve been swamped with end-of-semester work and only just now managed to finish this. Hope you all still find this of interest.)

As a coda to the Sos’s James Bond salute, there’s still a point I think deserves to be made.

The Bond franchise which has been with us so long, has become so deeply entrenched in popular culture, that we often forget what it was that first distinguished the Bonds a half-century ago. Skyfall might be one of the best of the Bonds, and even, arguably, one of the best big-budget big-action flicks to come along in quite a while, but it’s not alone. The annual box office is – and has been, for quite some time – dominated by big, action-packed blockbusters of one sort of another.

It’s a big year for Star Trek The Next Generation. The show is celebrating its 25th anniversary and CBS is re-releasing the series in high definition Blu-ray after the successful test release of the four episode disc, ‘Star Trek The Next Generation: The Next Level,’ last January.

Amazon and Sainsbury’s are giving a July 23rd UK release date on their websites for the first season box set. Sainsburys is pricing it at £50.99 and which is in line with other similar Blu-ray releases.

But this is no bog standard HD transfer. CBS have re-edited each episode precisely as it was aired from the original film negatives. And rather than up-converting the visual effects from videotape, they have been recomposed so they stand up today’s standards. After that, the freshly cut film is transferred to high definition. It’s refreshing to see CBS giving the series the respect it deserves,...

With the release yesterday of the Blu-ray sampler of episodes from "Star Trek: The Next Generation", questions have turned to what kind of release schedule is planned for the season box-sets for this quite massive undertaking, and will the same process be applied to other Trek spin-offs like "Deep Space Nine," "Voyager" and "Enterprise".

Talking with StarTrek.Com, CBS Home Entertainment's executive VP Ken Ross says "it was and continues to be an enormous project that will take several years to complete. From a manpower perspective, we have more than 20 people working on this project full time in three shifts 24 hours a day. It’s a huge commitment to transfer all seven seasons to high definition."

How big? The first season alone had "more than 1,700 VFX shots to recreate". In fact it took months to physically transport the whole series backlog of footage - 2,500 cartons with at least 25,000 reels of...

For those longing for the halcyon days of Smallville and Justin Hartley’s recurring then series regular role as the Green Arrow, get ready as the CW has ordered a pilot for the DC superhero called Arrow. But Hartley will not be part Oliver Queen, as the role has gone to relative newcomer Stephen Amell, a Toronto born 30 year-old actor who has worked steadily in Canada, but has also made appearances on American shows such as 90210, CSI and NCIS: Los Angeles. He also was part of the cast for the second season of The Vampire Diaries. He’s also shown off his sexy body on Queer as Folk, Dante’s Cove and Hung. Amell will play the vigilante superhero who fights crime using archery, martial arts and technology under his secret identity as Oliver Queen, a wealthy playboy and billionaire industrialist-turned-outspoken politician in Star City. David Nutter is directing the pilot,...

Just in time for the 25th anniversary, Star Trek: The Next Generation is being transferred to high definition for the first time ever and released on Blu-ray. All 178 episodes from seven seasons will be transferred to true high-definition 1080p for release on Blu-ray and eventual runs on television and digital platforms both domestically and internationally.

While the first full season won’t be available until later in 2012, CBS Home Entertainment is releasing Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level, a single Blu-ray disc to give fans a taste of the series in HD, on January 31, 2012. The disc will include the feature-length pilot – “Encounter at Farpoint” – as well as two more “fan favorite” episodes, “The Inner Light” (Season 5) and “Sins of the Father” (Season 3).

Here’s a preview of the remastered “Encounter at Farpoint”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Fans have been clamoring for a high-definition release...

The Movie Pool sets its sights on the Cold War thriller from John Frankenheimer, The Fourth War, on DVD!

This DVD is offered as part of MGM's "Limited Edition Collection," which is available from select online retailers and manufactured only when the DVD is ordered. The DVD features a simple menu with no menu for chapters or scenes. Manufacture-On-Demand (Mod) DVDs are made to play in DVD playback units only and may not play in DVD recorders or PC drives. This DVD did not play in our laptop DVD drive but did play in our Toshiba DVD recorder.

DVD Specs

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Running Time: 90 minutes

Rating: R

Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles: None  

Special Features: Trailer

The Set-up

During the Cold War, a bitter American colonel (Roy Scheider) stationed along the Iron Curtain begins a personal war against a Soviet commander (Jurgen Prochnow) on the other side of the border.